What!!! Too many words, and not enough pictures. Post some pictures.

Hey shirlpp...there's an image I think you missed. Thanks for commenting, though!

I see the picture. A larger picture of the entire space is needed.

There is only 1 picture and you can hardly see the tiny bit of trim.

Thanks, JudyG! The photo is admittedly terrible. :P I'll try to take a better one with more natural lighting as well. I'll look into November Rain as well. :)

It is much lighter than the sample posted. I think you may be pleased with it, particularly next to the brick with black grout. Here it is with natural wood...and it still is lighter than this when on your walls. Very chameleon.

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I don't think u should feel silly. I've spent more time looking through white colors than I care to think about n I can tell u it's very frustrating to find a plain white without the color of yellow, green etc etc. I Just want plain old white! Lol

i have oak color cab too, but not a golden kind - still having a hard time finding something. I plan on showing my hubby this thread n others like it, just to show him it's not just me. I blame the paint companies. To many colors to choose from! Lol. Good luck. :)

In your top pic, the Whitetail looks too yellow to me. In the second pic, the Chantilly too gray. For me, that leaves Snowbound. This doesn't take into account JudyG's suggestion, but I'm going w/ your on wall swatches & assuming that's an halogen light so colors are pretty true. BTW, I love stained oak, but if you want to change yours, and you're correct the mouldings aren't varnished or otherwise sealed, it'll be easy to paint.

I feel your pain, we have that wonderful oak trim in our house also! I am trying to decide whether to restain the trim darker or to paint all the trim with stained doors. I'd change the trim that you dislike before you paint the walls. Good luck with your project.

Thanks everyone! I think the trim might not bother me quite as much once the walls are lighter. The current color has always seemed dingy to me.

Update: I went with Benjamin Moore's Simply White - a slightly warmer, but still bright, white - but color matched by Sherwin Williams in their Emerald Matte interior paint. SO EXCITED! :D I'll repost images once the walls are painted. (First up, prepping the walls that I swear someone painted several coats over...without ever prepping them! Major dings, dripping paint, and weird raised bumps *everywhere*!) The major issue is that once I start, the entire first floor needs to be painted fairly quickly, as nearly every room shares a wall. (Not just corner / touching, but actually shared walls.) It's not quite an open-concept home, but it's as close as it gets for a 70's build. ;) I've got my work cut out for me!

OH! And I discovered that the trim color is closer to "fruitwood" than the golden oak I always thought it was. The kitchen has some golden oak and I think some other sections are closer to that, but most of the trim is closer to a light cherry or medium fruitwood, which makes things even more complicated.

I kind of wish the previous owner had just left the gorgeous *dark* trim - which remains on the second floor in some places...but not all. SIGH. The mismatched everything is making me bonkers!!! But hey, I have a *sort of* white kitchen! ;) (Those lovely white laminate cabinets with the oak trim on the bottom...and white laminate counter tops. :P )

I might paint the trim - I do love the look - but honestly, if I go that route I should probably replace it all with more modern, flat, wide trim. Have to save up for that - and tearing up the wall-to-wall beige carpeting and linoleum. ;)

JudyG, funny you should mention the coffee table. ;) I'd like to paint it a fairly true white, and might use some of the leftover paint from the swatches. The blue has sentimental value - my grandmother painted so many things in her home that dusty colonial blue - but it's not my style. My grandfather cut that coffee table down from a taller library table, so it's definitely staying, but needs a color upgrade. My original thought was black lacquer, but the colors in the room recently changed to more blues / greens so white feels like a better choice. Thoughts?

So glad you found your white. I think when you change to white trim you should start over with new trim in a style that is exactly what you like. You can prime and paint it before installation, and then you only need a quick touch-up once it's in place. Rome wasn't built in a day, and your home will take some time for you to make right. The most important thing is that you have a plan to follow so you don't go off-track. Best of luck for you achieving your dream home in due course.